Slinging.org Forum - Ponerology

Ajax

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Ponerology
Jul 18^th, 2014 at 7:20pm

I am trying to read this truly grim but facinating book, in fact the more i read the more sure that this is possible the most important book i have yet read, it is about ponerology which is the study of psychopaths and the impact they have on our world, how to spot them and how to deal with them.
There is even some suggestion that they are a different species! Undecided

Has any one encountered one?
Or has anyone read a book that changed how they saw things?

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Morphy

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Re: Ponerology
Reply #1 - Jul 18^th, 2014 at 8:01pm

I've read a lot of books that changed how I viewed the world, though none so great as the Good Book.

I used to be fascinated with a book called "The Way Things Work." I don't know if it caused my fascination or just propelled it further afield, but I constantly look at things and wonder why. And then try to deconstruct them into their individual parts. I do this for everything from philosophy to physics to politics. I often come down to baselines of human nature and the natural world where everything sort of stems from certain absolutes.

Bows and Arrows of the Native Americans by Jim Hamm lit my fire on bows and then The Traditional Bowyers Bibles dumped gasoline on that little blaze.

The Age of Spiritual Machines by Kurzweil which my naive teen age mind thought was wonderful, but my slightly less naive adult mind finds ominous at best.

The Soul's Code by Hillman. Which was interesting.

And many, many more which were likely just as, or more, influential in everything but their title.

In regards to your other question, I have encountered at least a few people who would fall under the more scientific definition of a psychopath. Though, now the term is used for all sorts of things.

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Ajax

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Re: Ponerology
Reply #2 - Jul 18^th, 2014 at 8:52pm

This book is very specific in it's constitution of a psychopath,
Even the history of how the book got to be published at all is disturbing. i can only read parts of it before i get so mad i have to put it down! Angry

I will read everything i can get my hands on and like yourself philosophy to physics are a large part of my reading diet.
Ponerology falls somewhere in there i guess however the ramifications of what the author is saying like the other two subjects affects everything we as humans do as a group.
All knowledge that is aquired is important, however it can be uncomfortable when it challanges you to to examine truths that were taken for granted and forces you to evaluate what is real and what is just a loved lie.
Then the kicker is; do you have the courage to embrace the new sharp reality after accepting the facts as self evident knowing that you can never go back and move forward, or retreat back into a comfortable lie and then spend the rest of your life trying to forget? i guess thats why i like slinging so much, it forces me to accept the suckiness of my skill and demands that i "get real" in order to improve. which means working at it, or i can give up and do the easier thing of daydreaming about hitting the target and thus deny myself the sweet joy of doing it for real.
Wow! ; me thinks i blab to much Roll Eyes

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"Do what thou will"Shall be the whole of the law."love is the law, love under will"

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Masiakasaurus Forum Moderation Offline mah-SEE-a-kah-SOR-us Posts: 6069 Alabama, USA Gender:	Re: Ponerology Reply #3 - Jul 19^th, 2014 at 12:04am Odds are we've all met a psychopath or two in our lives; they're not all that unusual or scary. Ponerology is the study of evil, which sounds like the basis for a terrifically creepy book.
Back to top	Pikåru wrote on Nov 19^th, 2013 at 6:59pm: Massi - WTF? It's called a sling. You use it to throw rocks farther and faster than you could otherwise. That's all. ~Engineers like to solve problems. If there are no problems handily avialable, they will create their own problems.~ IP Logged

squirrelslinger Interfector Viris Spurii Offline peace through superior firepower Posts: 2870 Ky, USA Gender:	Re: Ponerology Reply #4 - Jul 19^th, 2014 at 1:11am read an article on that. Super creepy stuff.
Back to top	“Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, but expecting different results.” "You don't think the electricity is off. You check it 3 times to make SURE its off" "Remember, this is not a scalpel. It is a steel wedge that you will be slamming into knotty wood. Hone accordingly." IP Logged

algorias Descens Offline Slinging Rocks! Posts: 114 Gender:	Re: Ponerology Reply #5 - Jul 19^th, 2014 at 6:22am There are plenty of evil people who are not psychopaths and plenty of psychopaths that aren't evil.
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slingbadger Interfector Viris Spurii Offline Don't Badger a Badger Posts: 3220 Akron NY Gender:	Re: Ponerology Reply #6 - Jul 19^th, 2014 at 7:32am Not specific books, but authors. Mary Roach is a science author with a very plain, non scientific writing style and a wicked sense of humor. Every time I read one of her books, I see the world differently. The same for Neil DeGrasse Tyson's books. C.S. Lewis Thomas Merton Ralph Waldo Emerson Henry David Thoreau
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Bikewer

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Re: Ponerology
Reply #7 - Jul 19^th, 2014 at 1:48pm

I'd have a hard time picking a single book. Steven Jay Gould's large amount of published material has been my #1 source for evolution.
Bart Ehrman, the New Testament scholar, has written many fine books on the dispassionate research of early Christianity rather than the "pious" viewpoint... Of these Lost Christianities is likely the most informative.
In the field of skepticism, James Randi's stuff has been terrific, but his "Masks of Nostradamus" is not only a very effective debunking of that fellow but a textbook on research...
Isaac Asimov's 3-book series on physics is the most readable, enjoyable, and informative thing I've read in the area of general science; Asimov not only explains the basics of physics in a clear and accessible manner, he tells us the people involved in these basic discoveries and a bit of their history as well.

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Ajax

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Re: Ponerology
Reply #8 - Jul 20^th, 2014 at 7:31pm

If according to the author that fully six percent of all humans are psychopaths then yes it's a good bet that we have all met at least one.
I know that i have, and sorry algorias but i disagree with you i think that they are all evil; how can they not be?
They are geniticaly predisposed to do harm to others in order to survive and thrive.But i am sure you get dumb ones as well as smart ones and the damage they do is only limited by the amount of social or working power they gain.
Other authors are Frank herbert,Mikhael Aivanhov,Alice Baily,Blavatsky,Alan Pease,Asimov i could go on and on!
And i like paper books rather than e books.

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"Do what thou will"Shall be the whole of the law."love is the law, love under will"

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Masiakasaurus Forum Moderation Offline mah-SEE-a-kah-SOR-us Posts: 6069 Alabama, USA Gender:	Re: Ponerology Reply #9 - Jul 20^th, 2014 at 8:15pm You'll find more of them in board rooms than in jail cells... But that's not a very good argument against them being evil, is it? Psychopaths are just people with low empathy and low impulse control.
Back to top	Pikåru wrote on Nov 19^th, 2013 at 6:59pm: Massi - WTF? It's called a sling. You use it to throw rocks farther and faster than you could otherwise. That's all. ~Engineers like to solve problems. If there are no problems handily avialable, they will create their own problems.~ IP Logged

Ajax

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Re: Ponerology
Reply #10 - Jul 20^th, 2014 at 9:43pm

I have not finished the book yet, but the author belives they have NO empathy and next to no impulse control.
As to them being in board rooms but not actually evil, take a look at what the banksters are doing, the ceaseless pollution and corporate greed and purposeful shortsightedness that puts profits first at the expense of people, endless wars, increased restrictions on freedoms, destorying countries so as to gain thier resources, subjection of woman, cultivation of a them vs us mind set.
Bank bail outs, slavery, dumbing down, gmo, monsanto, over fishing, over logging. all of this and so much more is because the people at the top and in charge of making decisions who dont have empathy for the very world that supports them and us.Did you know that the spanish govt is trying to tax sunlight! and the ceo of nestle has said that ALL fresh water should be privatised and that it is not a basic human right.
Ok you can make an argument that says that still dosn't prove them to be evil, that at the least they are ignorent or at the worst they are incompetent and that may be so for a given percentage of them, but all of them?constantly? repeatedly? across all spheres of industry?
Its the boiled frog model of doing things and we are the frogs.
Evil is as evil does.

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Curious Aardvark

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Re: Ponerology
Reply #11 - Jul 21^st, 2014 at 6:33am

well evil is entirely subjective.

I think factory farming is evil - but most of the population of the world don't.
I don't think the farmers are evil.
But the deeds are.

All humans have the potential for violence, some more than others. But not all psychopaths are evil. Some will enter the military and channel that violence.
Some might do cage fighting or boxing.

It takes a bit more than a propensity for violence to make someone evil.

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Do All things with Honour and Generosity: Regret Nothing, Envy None, Apologise Seldom and Bow your head to No One - works for me

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AncientCraftwork Interfector Viris Spurii Offline Posts: 2403	Re: Ponerology Reply #12 - Jul 21^st, 2014 at 7:34am Arther C Clarke's science fiction books are my favourite books. The definitely had an impact on my way of thinking , espescially The Space Oddyssey series. I will get my new e-reader in a few days. I am planning to read Ray Kurzweil - The Singularity is near, which seems like an intriguing read.
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Bill Skinner Forum Moderation Offline Slinging Rocks! Posts: 3292	Re: Ponerology Reply #13 - Jul 21^st, 2014 at 12:22pm I think more evil has been done when well meaning people start doing things "for the good of all" than all the truly evil have ever managed to do.
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squirrelslinger

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Re: Ponerology
Reply #14 - Jul 21^st, 2014 at 12:22pm

Curious Aardvark wrote on Jul 21^st, 2014 at 6:33am:

well evil is entirely subjective.

I think factory farming is evil - but most of the population of the world don't.
I don't think the farmers are evil.
But the deeds are.

All humans have the potential for violence, some more than others. But not all psychopaths are evil. Some will enter the military and channel that violence.
Some might do cage fighting or boxing.

It takes a bit more than a propensity for violence to make someone evil.

most of the world chooses to pay no attention to it.
Quite a few psychos become spec ops guys, I assume.
Maybe not.

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“Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, but expecting different results.”
"You don't think the electricity is off. You check it 3 times to make SURE its off"
"Remember, this is not a scalpel. It is a steel wedge that you will be slamming into knotty wood. Hone accordingly."

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